Something Catastrophic: Lori Nix's Architectural Ruins
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Author(s)
Brown, Alexandra
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2015
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In each of the photographs that currently make up Lori Nix’s series The City (2006–), we witness what appears to be an urban space in ruins. These apparently abandoned interiors contain traces of relatively recent human occupation, despite their advanced state of decay. In all, there are almost thirty scenes of destruction and deterioration—pieces of the same story that contain an abundance of fine-grain detail, and yet somehow remain unfixed in space and time. In Subway (2012), Violin Repair Shop (2011), or Laundromat (2008), we could be somewhere at the edges of New York City. The architectural features of Fountain (2008) ...
View more >In each of the photographs that currently make up Lori Nix’s series The City (2006–), we witness what appears to be an urban space in ruins. These apparently abandoned interiors contain traces of relatively recent human occupation, despite their advanced state of decay. In all, there are almost thirty scenes of destruction and deterioration—pieces of the same story that contain an abundance of fine-grain detail, and yet somehow remain unfixed in space and time. In Subway (2012), Violin Repair Shop (2011), or Laundromat (2008), we could be somewhere at the edges of New York City. The architectural features of Fountain (2008) and Museum of Art (2005) seem to make reference to the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art respectively, but there is no way of knowing for certain where we are. What seems clear, however, is that something disastrous has happened.
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View more >In each of the photographs that currently make up Lori Nix’s series The City (2006–), we witness what appears to be an urban space in ruins. These apparently abandoned interiors contain traces of relatively recent human occupation, despite their advanced state of decay. In all, there are almost thirty scenes of destruction and deterioration—pieces of the same story that contain an abundance of fine-grain detail, and yet somehow remain unfixed in space and time. In Subway (2012), Violin Repair Shop (2011), or Laundromat (2008), we could be somewhere at the edges of New York City. The architectural features of Fountain (2008) and Museum of Art (2005) seem to make reference to the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art respectively, but there is no way of knowing for certain where we are. What seems clear, however, is that something disastrous has happened.
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Journal Title
Lucida Journal
Volume
1
Publisher URI
Copyright Statement
© 2015 Lucida Journal. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
Subject
Architectural History and Theory
Art Criticism